Former Lost Boy’ shares his story, hopes for Sudan’s future with Black River students

Wednesday

Jan 26, 2011 at 12:01 AMJan 26, 2011 at 2:13 PM

Black River Public School social studies and English students listened to a first-hand account of history-in-the-making on Tuesday afternoon as Sudanese refugee Jacob Atem shared with them his dreams to see south Sudan established as a sovereign nation.

STEPHEN KLOOSTERMAN

Black River Public School social studies and English students listened to a first-hand account of history-in-the-making on Tuesday afternoon as Sudanese refugee Jacob Atem shared with them his dreams to see south Sudan established as a sovereign nation.

Atem — one of Sudan’s child refugees dubbed the “Lost Boys” by media — told students he voted just days ago in the southern Sudanese independence referendum in a bid to allow the resource-rich south to secede from arid north Sudan.

“I was so excited,” Atem said. “We say ballot, not bullet, this time.”

South Sudan could declare its independence from the north by July, if, as Atem expects, residents voted for freedom.

Atem spoke about his flight after a raid on his home village by the Sudanese government during the second Sudanese Civil War.

“This is the same war that has killed my parents,” he said. “I was young, I was about 6 or 7 when that attack happened. I was looking after the cattle with my cousin and they came and completely destroyed the village. My sister today is still in slavery.”

Atem and his cousin survived in the wild, sometimes drinking their own urine for moisture, and stayed constantly on the move.